Casualty
by Vyndael
Summary: Post Suicide Mission. Thane reminds the Normandy crew of their purpose in this war, but one of them has trouble accepting the price it took for them to return from the Omega-4 relay.


"Can't believe you did it."

"_**We **_did it."

"Oh. Right. All of you."

Hands clasped before the chest, eyes closed in prayer. Ignored by all but his kin.

"Who are you praying to?"

"Kalahira."

"Why? You're alive along with everyone else".

"No…not everyone." Black eyes open to gaze upon those who survived.

"We failed."

***

_The hand of the abomination falls on us. Crashes down into the abyss like thunder. The platform falls. She follows. He jumps after her. "Miranda!" He reaches for her. Fear. His hand clasps onto her for a moment. She keeps falling into the awaiting darkness. He grabs her and pulls her up before the abomination can claim her in its dying throes. Rolling. Rolling. Darkness falls. _

_Pain. Shriek of metal. Awakened, he helps us. Smiles on their faces. Hope. Static. Frantic voice. Joker. Streams of light bear down on us. Movement of shadows. "Run!" But they follow._

_Voice echoes in the halls. Human. Reapers. Salvation. Destruction. Shallow breaths. Can't stop, keep running. _

_Dead-end. No, safety. Normandy. Joker. Return fire. Shepard covers us as we run. She jumps, I follow. Rain of metal. No. He runs. Light follows him. Feet leave the ground. Returns when knocked down by the enemy. No. He fights back. Bullet to the head, it falls. Turns to us. "Tell them!" Returns fire. She refuses. __**NO**__. She wants to help. Tears in her eyes. She reaches for him. Time is running out. _

_"You've got to tell them! More are coming!" Turns his back to us. _

_"__**Go**__" _

_She refuses. "Shepard!" she cries out. He pauses. A sad smile he gives her, unspoken words. Resigned to fate. Returns fire. __**NO. NO. NO. NO**__. Must leave. Pull her inside. Difficult. Time is running out._

_Electronic voice. AI. Ally. Ten. Wings spread. Nine. Must fly. Eight. Cut off. Must leave. Explosion. Fire follows. Keep flying. Fire does not claim us. Darkness does. Tears fall._

_***_

Footsteps break him out of his reverie, his eyes going back to their normal state. His companions have remained in their place beside him as he relived his last memory of their leader. Except one. He still hears her footsteps.

The loyalist.

He watches her slowly head for the Normandy and he lets her. He knows what she feels. She is not so very different from himself. He only wishes she does not share his fate

"Father?" He turns his attention to his son once more. "Yes, Kolyat?"

"Will you stay now? You completed your mission right?" He looks toward the crew for a confirmation but they remain in silence. Thane took it upon himself to speak for them. They knew what was coming. It was only a matter of time.

"No, Kolyat. We have not" He can't help but feel sorry for his son as a look of disappointment flashed across his face. He was abandoning Kolyat yet again.

"Then...what will you do?"

_What will we do? We lost the man who brought us all together. What can we hope to accomplish without our fearless leader?_

It was then that he remembered some of the last words the Commander spoke.

_Make me proud. Make yourselves proud._

Facing the crew instead of his son, he spoke, "We will do what Shepard has been telling us to do ever since we started our mission" They flinched at the mention of his name, but it caught their attention. They couldn't afford to be wallowing in their sorrow, not while the Reapers were gathering their strength. Shepard wouldn't want that. The galaxy needed them, the only survivors who returned from the Omega-4 relay, if they were going to win this war.

"Fight for the lost" Grim-faced, every single one of them nodded in agreement.

From the corner of his eye, he saw her pause briefly at the exit before the door closed behind her.

_Its the least we can do after all he has done for us._

_

* * *

_

If its not clear, Miranda is Shepard's lover and Thane is reliving his memory (like he does when you ask him about his assassinations) so she leaves in her grief.


End file.
